News from 2011

The 10 biggest stories of 2011 in mobile tech

For Americans who own cell phones or other mobile devices (at least 85% of the adult population, according to a new survey), 2011 ushered in a whirlwind of news.

Some of the year’s top mobile stories were mostly hype (QR codes and cell phone radiation) or vaporware (those persistent iPhone 5 rumors). But other developments were genuinely important to the U.S. mobile landscape.

Here’s a quick — and entirely subjective — list of my picks for the 10 most important stories and trends for 2011 in U.S. mobile news:

1. Goodbye (mostly) to unlimited data plans; hello throttling. The digital divide between those with high-speed Internet access and those without remains a huge problem in the United States and elsewhere, leading to significant inequities of opportunities and services. (Full Article)

Mobile First Enterprise Apps: VC Investing Boom Ahead

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Forbes – Kevin Spain

The rapid rise of the iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices has fueled a mad rush of venture funding into consumer-facing mobile companies. During the 2011 first half, according to Rutberg & Co., venture capitalists invested $3 billion into 358 mobile companies – with $960 million going to the “media and applications” sector, defined as social networks, mobile games, mobile advertising, app platforms, news aggregation, photo sharing and group messaging.

VC investment in enterprise mobile companies has been more tepid. According to Rutberg, VCs invested just $254 million into “enterprise IT” mobile companies over the same span. (Full Article)

How Local Watchdog Groups, Not Western Companies, Are Shaping Business Practices in China

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Forbes – Amy Westervelt

Back in the early 1990s when the first wave of concern about labor practices in China emerged and photos of factory conditions spurred the creation of what we now call Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Chinese manufacturers cleaned up their act and largely did what their Western buyers wanted. They couldn’t afford to lose the business.

Fast forward 20 years and it’s as though 1990 has dawned again. Every week seems to bring some story or another of a Western company caught with a Chinese supplier that’s dumping chemicals or infringing on worker rights. Despite the vast improvements to supply chain management over the past decades, companies are still being surprised by suppliers behaving in a way that doesn’t exactly jive with their annual sustainability reports. So what’s going on: Did those early efforts just scratch the surface? Is China tired of the West telling it how to conduct business? Is supply chain management so complex that few companies can truly sort it out? Given that much of the news these days centers around tech and electronics companies, is it more to do with the clandestine nature of those industries? Or are we just hearing more about it now because it’s tougher to get away with labor and environmental violations for long before someone snaps a pic on their smartphone and it becomes a big news story? (Full Article)

Aravo Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of cloud-based Supplier Lifecycle Management (SLM) and B2B information and collaboration solutions, announced today that a European-based Global 200 healthcare solutions company, has selected Aravo to enable their world-wide procurement transformation initiative. The selection was the result of an exhaustive analysis of the market during which the company evaluated several vendors to help it with new supplier discovery, supplier enablement, and supplier risk management. Using Aravo’s Supplier Lifecycle Management (SLM) solutions, Aravo’s customer will improve supplier information enterprise-wide, lowering operating costs, reducing supply chain risk and ensuring regulatory compliance across its global supply base.

The company offers a diversified portfolio of products delivering innovative pharmaceuticals, consumer health products, preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools. With divisions in dozens of countries around the world, a large part of their growth has come through acquisition. In response to the resulting supply chain complexity, the company has begun an enterprise-wide supplier lifecycle management initiative that will positively impact their collaborative relationships with vendors and ultimately improve customer satisfaction. (Full Article)

Aravo Assure(TM) Creates a New Paradigm for Business Social Networks General Availability of Aravo Assure(TM) to Transform Trading Relationships for Millions of Buyers and Sellers

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Market Watch – Press Release

Aravo Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of cloud-based Supplier Lifecycle Management and B2B collaboration solutions, announced today that Aravo Assure(TM) is now generally available to help buyers and suppliers transform the way that they manage their B2B trading relationships. Using Aravo Assure(TM), the industry’s first — and only — trading partner information network with a focus on risk, performance, compliance, and sustainability, thousands of companies are already reducing the cost of managing and sharing critical business information, while finding new customers for their products and services.

Aravo Assure(TM) was built to enable a new paradigm for the way that businesses engage, share data, and collaborate. In the same way that social network companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, and Twitter have changed the ways that we shop, communicate with friends, and search for jobs, restaurants and service providers, Aravo Assure(TM) will change the way that companies create and manage their B2B presence and relationships. Using the latest many-to-many, Enterprise 2.0 technologies delivered in an intuitive, web based system, buyers and sellers will easily discover new trading opportunities, safely and securely share critical business information, and drive down the administrative time and expense involved in managing tens or hundreds of thousands of trading partners. (Full Article)

After tremendous growth in the US, InsideView, the leader in sales intelligence and social selling, announced today the beginning of its global expansion with its UK and Ireland Edition. Thousands of US business organizations now deploy InsideView’s award-winning company and people intelligence to increase the productivity of their customer-facing employees and improve metrics across the customer cycle, including lead conversion, win rates and customer retention and expansion.

With the UK and Ireland Edition, InsideView takes this competitive advantage worldwide, providing professionals with effective intelligence that helps them be more targeted, relevant and timely in their sales and customer management efforts. The UK and Ireland Edition of InsideView will be generally available in the first quarter of 2012, as a stand-alone application as well as a mash-up within market-leading CRM applications including Microsoft Dynamics, Netsuite, Oracle CRM On Demand, Salesforce.com, SAP, and SugarCRM. (Full Article)

Sell to People, Not Contacts: InsideView Launches People Insights Drive More Revenue Through Connections and People Alerts

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Market Watch – Press Release

InsideView, the leader in sales intelligence and social selling, today announced the launch of People Insights. InsideView People Insights allows business professionals to connect with the right person, with the right message, at the right time — ultimately driving greater productivity and revenue.

A New Type of Connection Connections are more important than ever for reaching and engaging your prospects. More than 90 percent of executives never respond to cold-call sales or unsolicited emails, while more than 80 percent do engage when referred by a connection — whether through a friend, colleague, customer or industry peer. InsideView Connections grows your reach beyond social networking sites (your personal connections) to automatically leverage your extended business network of coworkers, executives and board members, previous employers, and customers (your corporate connections). Even young professionals, who often have a limited Rolodex and professional network, can now instantly leverage their company’s extended network of corporate relationships. (Full Article)

Aravo Solutions, the leading provider of cloud-based Supplier Lifecycle Management (SLM) and B2B collaboration solutions, today announced that a Fortune 100 high tech manufacturer has selected Aravo SLM to power its global supplier lifecycle management program. The Fortune 100 manufacturer selected Aravo to transform its supply chain systems and processes in order to proactively respond to increasing complexity and risk in their supply chain.

Manufacturers today are faced not only with increasing regulatory compliance pressures, but also with significant and growing risk of costly disruptions given increasingly global, diverse and interconnected supply chains. In order to mitigate these risks, the company sought to deploy a more efficient, comprehensive, automated supplier management system to drive increased visibility into trading partners while promoting proactive supplier management via automated dashboards, metrics-triggered alerts, and mitigation plans. (Full Article)

Ten times more companies started using intelligence to sell better in 2011′s Q3 than any other quarter. That’s according to the latest numbers from InsideView, the leading provider of sales intelligence for the enterprise. The company also revealed it delivered more than 8 million unique new opportunity sales triggers to its customers during the same period.

Intelligence Over Data: Quality and Quantity in Harmony

InsideView’s sales intelligence provides something data simply can’t: a competitive advantage. Anyone can provide a current title, phone number or email address on a lead. Only InsideView can provide this basic information, but more. For example, a business event — like an acquisition or merger — that warrants sales outreach, or news event like a product launch, that matters to the ongoing sales conversation. (Full Article)

Leading Solar Distributor, groSolar, Selected to Represent Xunlight

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Renewable Energy World – groSolar

Partnership Increases the Number of Solar Friendly Rooftops, Using Domestic Manufacturing

Toledo, OH One of the solar electricity industry’s most established and trusted solar product procurement & logistics firms, groSolar, has been selected to represent Xunlight, manufacturer of cutting edge and highly reliable flexible thin film solar modules. This is the first thin film groSolar has elected to represent, simply because of Xunlight’s quality products. Xunlight is now available to groSolar’s 1,500 plus independent dealers across the nation, most of whom are independent solar contractors. (Full Article)

Upright Turbines Breathe New Life Into Wind Farms. The vertical design can produce more power and is proving to be easier on wildlife.

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Discovery News – Eric Niiler

By going vertical, wind farms may just get a new life.

Putting windmills upright and spacing them more tightly together can generate more electricity on less land, and kill fewer birds or bats than traditional horizontal rotating wind turbines, according to new engineering research.

The findings give new hope to an industry that often faces opposition from neighbors who complain that big wind farms take up too much space and environmentalist who worry about wildlife deaths.

National Solar Commercial Installation Firm and Distributor Help Victims of Vermont Flooding, Storm Damage. Employees of groSolar Band Together to Help Elderly Flood Victims.

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

Renewable Energy World – Press Release

Bethel, VT Corporate office employees of Vermont-based groSolar spent time last week helping two families clean up their homes ravaged by the flooding and damage left behind by Hurricane Irene. While it’s been nearly three weeks since Irene leveled houses, washed out roads and left hundreds of Vermonters without homes, a great need still awaits, said Jeff Wolfe, CEO and Co Founder, groSolar.

Corporate office employees of Vermont-based groSolar spent time last week helping two families clean up their homes ravaged by the flooding and damage left behind by Hurricane Irene. While it’s been nearly three weeks since Irene leveled houses, washed out roads and left hundreds of Vermonters without homes, a great need still awaits, said Jeff Wolfe, CEO and Co Founder, groSolar. (Full Article)

Schletter’s ballasted ground mount on this site, the PVMax™, is one of the largest landfill installations in North America. The 1.5 MW PV system consisting of more than 6,500 modules, will offset a minimum of 90% of Clean Harbors electrical needs each year.

“groSolar’s extensive experience installing PV systems on landfills led them to choose Schletter’s PVMax ballasted design; what they considered the perfect mounting solution for capped landfills,” says Ed Grover, Strategic Alliance Manager for Schletter Inc. Mr. Grover goes on to say that “the system uses cast-in-place concrete footers without excavation required, which creates a stable foundation for the mounting system and modules. Not only are landfill owners able to utilize properties previously considered unusable, they are using them to create clean energy.” (Full Article)

Linkage Biosciences Closes $2.1M in Funding

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

MarketWire – Press Release

Linkage Biosciences, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company and leader in molecular HLA typing products, announced that it raised over $2 million in Series B financing. Linkage Biosciences’ LinkS?q™ HLA product line uses a proprietary software and chemistry platform in conjunction with real-time PCR instrumentation. This combination of technologies provides significant improvements in the analysis of complex genetic regions including reducing labor requirements by up to 85% compared to current methods.

Fisher Capital Corp LLC and Greenhouse Capital Partners led the round with all major existing investors from previous rounds participating including Big Sky Partners. “This is an exciting time in the maturation of Linkage Biosciences,” said James R. Fisher Sr., Managing Member of Fisher Capital Corp LLC. “With this financing, the company is now positioned to scale up operations to capitalize upon its revolutionary LinkS?q technology.” (Full Article)

James Joaquin Joins Catamount Ventures as Partner

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

MarketWatch – Press Release

Catamount Ventures ( www.catamountventures.com ) today announced that James Joaquin will join the early stage venture capital firm as a Partner. James brings over 25 years of experience building technology companies as a leader and an investor. His entrepreneurial energy, consumer marketing and trend-spotting expertise have helped create new categories such as online photography, web-based calendaring and the Personal Digital Assistant.

In his new role, James will lead investment opportunities in the consumer internet and consumer packaged goods sectors and will represent the company on several existing portfolio company boards. Catamount’s growing portfolio of internet and consumer companies includes category leaders such as Cafe Press, GridNet, Linden Lab, Nest Collective ( www.nest-collective.com ), Revolution Foods, and Seventh Generation. (Full Article)

Zola(R) Expands Distribution With Top Retailers Safeway, Acme and ShopRite

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Market Watch – Press Release

Zola’s New Value Sizes and Acai With Pomegranate Growing Quickly

Zola(R), maker of the first bottled Acai juice, and one of the fastest growing brands of Brazilian Superfruit Juices, announced today it is expanding its distribution with top grocery chains Safeway, Acme and ShopRite. After a successful test in Safeway’s Colorado division, Zola is expanding distribution of its best tasting Acai juices — Acai Original, Acai with Blueberry and Acai with Pomegranate in 12oz and 32oz sizes — nationally to over 1,200 Safeway locations in 13 states. Zola is also currently rolling out new distribution in 84 Acme and 240 ShopRite stores on the east coast. The company attributes this significant momentum to top tier retailers recognizing Zola’s commitment to freshness and quality, delicious new flavors, and the positive consumer reaction to Zola’s new packaging.

Zola’s new distribution is happening at the right time for the company. “For the past six months, we have been expanding and upgrading our team to handle our expected rapid growth, and we are excited to have the added distribution power of these strong retail partners to expand the availability of Zola products to more consumers,” says Chris Cuvelier, Founder and CEO of Zola. (Full Article)

MobiTV Plans $75 Million IPO to Raise Funds for Mobile-Television Service

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Bloomberg – Ari Levy

MobiTV Inc., the maker of software that lets smartphone users watch live television, filed to raise as much as $75 million in an initial public offering of stock.

The company didn’t say how many shares it will sell or at what price in its filing today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

At least five companies have announced plans for IPOs in the U.S. in the past week after filings were shelved at a record pace earlier this month as stock markets worldwide plunged. Angie’s List Inc., operator of a consumer-review website, and Jive Software Inc., the maker of social-networking software for businesses, disclosed plans for share sales last week.

Founded in 2000 by Paul Scanlan, Phillip Alvelda and Jeff Annison, MobiTV has accelerated its growth in the past two years as consumers have flocked to Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone and Google Inc.’s Android devices. Revenue at the Emeryville, California- based company rose 17 percent in this year’s first half to $37 million from a year earlier, and its net loss narrowed to $8.08 million from $9.36 million.

InsideView Adds Intelligence to the Social Enterprise With Launch of CRM+

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Reuters – Press Release

InsideView, the social selling and sales intelligence leader, today announced the launch of CRM+. By going beyond mere business data to provide complete customer intelligence, InsideView’s CRM+ revolutionizes the way all CRM end users — from sales, marketing and service, to operations and partner channels — engage with their customers and prospects, build trust, grow productive one-to-one relationships and, ultimately, drive more revenue. With today’s launch, InsideView sets a new standard in bringing holistic and social intelligence to the fingertips of all B2B CRM users.

“What made more than 100,000+ sales people more productive is now available to service, marketing, operations and partner channels: the intelligence needed for meaningful one-to-one relationships,” said Umberto Milletti, CEO of InsideView. “For example, just as sales has used intelligence to increase conversion rates, marketing uses contact intelligence to hone their campaigns, account management uses current news to time renewal offers, and professionals such as business development use intelligence to open new relationships.” (Full Article)

InsideView and CoreMotives increase adoption and value for Dynamics CRM users by combining sales intelligence and web intelligence. “Reaching the right person at the right time with the right message is the key to successful sales,” says Heidi Tucker, VP of Global Alliances at InsideView. “CRM users today need their CRM to do more than track their sales pipeline; they want integrated solutions that deliver the knowledge they need to engage customers.” When used together within Dynamics CRM, CoreMotives and InsideView give customers the power to win more deals more quickly, without resorting to cold calls using low hit prospect lists.

Companies spend thousands of dollars buying general prospect lists when they could simply tap into the visitors on their website that are already interested in their product or service. The problem is that many of those visitors are anonymous.

With CoreMotives and InsideView, the anonymous visitor is identified within seconds of hitting the website, a lead is automatically created in CRM, and InsideView Sales intelligence enriches the lead in real time with demographic information, social profiles, news and more, so that the sales rep can reach out to that prospect immediately with a relevant conversation starter. (Full Article)

The Stars Hit The Revolution By LG/Verizon Party In Force! Get All The Scoop!

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

Hollywood Life – HL Staff

Alexis Bellino, Aubrey O’Day and many other celebs partied at The Sayers Club for the Revolution by LG/Verizon Party August 17, where they had a chance to sip on Marani Vodka martinis and Tequila Revolucion cocktails and rock out to some fun live entertainment! Its so great to be a celebrity!

So HollywoodLifers, here’s the scoop! Real Housewives stars Alexis and Jim Bellino were the first people to arrive at the REVOLUTION by LG / Verizon Party at Sayer’s Club on August 17 where they showed up in a brand-new white Bentley…so new it didn’t even have license plates! After walking the red carpet, Alexis and Jim sat at a VIP table where they sipped on Marani Vodka martinis and Tequila Revolucion cocktails mixed with Zola Acai. (Full Article)

Stand-out, shout-out Tuesdays: Seathos Foundation

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

Working for Green – Sheda

Sometimes old is the new cool. In our fast-paced world where information is available at our fingertips and via multiple devices, it’s easy to forget about ongoing problems and solutions that we should be conscious of in our everyday lives. So today’s Stand-out, Shout-out goes to the SoCal-based nonprofit organization Seathos Foundation for visiting the timeless issue of recycling: “The basics of recycling: What you should know but probably don’t.”

This quick n’ creative guide to recycling is a MUST for anyone who’s ever used a plastic, metal, paper or glass product. And you recycling buffs out there: You may also want to visit this site to make sure you’re doing it right. But remember that all City recycling programs differ a bit on what they accept, especially when it gets to the different plastics (identified by the number in the arrow-triangle found on all plastic items.) For example, some programs accept plastic utensils while some still don’t. The same goes for other products such as styrofoam. For info on your City’s recycling rules, Google or Bing for your City’s Environment, Sanitation and Recycling facility.

Recycling helps extend the life of perfectly good and reusable items otherwise destined for landfills, helps minimize the amount of waste we’re sending to our shrinking landfills, and helps keep these items out of our fragile natural environments. (Full Article)

Company makes petroleum-free plastics

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Daily Local News – Kyle O’Donnell

Ecospan, a California-based bioplastics company, will open its East Coast operations in a West Whiteland facility in late September.

The goal of the facility is to design 100 percent petroleum-free plastics on industry-standard machinery, Ecospan President Jeff White said.

Ecospan’s customers can then replicate the formulations created in the West Whiteland facility in factories throughout the world.

About 10 employees will be working at the facility by the end of this year, and the facility will eventually employ 30 people in 2012, White said.

Manufacturing should begin at the facility by the end of this year, Ecospan Vice President of Operations John Vandenbergh said.

Ecospan wanted to base its East Coast operations in the Mid-Atlantic region, White said. The company chose the Delaware Valley last November and narrowed its focus to Chester County in late spring.

The Delaware Valley’s large concentration of chemical, pharmaceutical, biotech, and plastics companies makes Ecospan easily accessible to many of its customers and vendors, White said.

The location also provides easy access to European markets, White said.

The federal government’s increased emphasis on the production of petroleum-free plastics influenced the company’s decision to choose a location close to Washington, D.C., White said.

InsideView Expands Social Selling With New Functionality for CRM, Social Intelligence and Actionability

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

MarketWire – Press Release

InsideView, the social selling and sales intelligence leader, announced today significant product updates that bring the company’s flagship and award-winning technology to any sales, marketing or customer service professional.

The updates relate to three key areas important to anyone looking to be more productive in customer-facing roles, and drive better and more productive one-to-one (rather than ‘one-to-many’) relationships and business results. InsideView creates meaningful one-to-one business (sales, marketing and service) interaction by delivering real-time intelligence right to the fingertips of customer-facing professionals. (Full Article)

Ecospan, LLC, a materials science research, development, and manufacturing company focused on bio-based plastics recently announced an expanded management team alongside its new operations center in Exton, Pennsylvania, slated to open in the fall of 2011. “Many strategic decisions drove the expansion,” notes Greg Hoffman, Chairman and CEO. “Our new executive team and operations center go hand-in-hand.”

One of Ecospan’s top priorities is to assemble a team of top professionals with vast experience in processing technologies and material sciences. Scott Sanderson, Vice President of Product Development, who has been with the company since it’s inception, will be relocating from Ecospan’s facility in Asia to the new Pennsylvania location. Joining Hoffman and Sanderson are Jeff White, President; Paul Cannon, Vice President of Marketing and Sales; and John Vandenbergh, Vice President of Operations. In 2005, Hoffman founded the company and following its spectacular growth and recent application successes, the others joined.

“The opportunity to work as a board member with Hoffman won me over,” says Jeff White. “Additionally, Ecospan’s prospects are huge. Its market space lends an opportunity to become part of a global megatrend — sustainability. Our technology enables manufacturers and packagers to have a competitive advantage and to make positive changes to their bottom line; our bio-based products enable customers to significantly reduce waste. Together, we can combat critical issues such as global carbon footprint.” (Full Article)

InsideView Named Sole Sales Solution in 2011 Gartner Magic Quadrant

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Reuters – Press Release

InsideView, the social selling and sales intelligence leader, was pleased to announce inclusion for the second year running in the Gartner Research Magic Quadrant for Social CRM. InsideView is the lone company specifically addressing the sales processes — intelligence in monitoring, outreach and collaboration for sales professionals — in the research firm’s 2011 benchmark report. This is only the second time Gartner Research has addressed the growing market of social CRM.

In the report’s introduction, Gartner analysts mandate measurable benefits of any social CRM vendor included in the Magic Quadrant. InsideView’s integrated, seamless sales intelligence has been shown by analyst firm Aberdeen Research to improve top-line revenue by more than ten percent. (Full Article)

U.S. Cellular Launches Mobile TV Service Powered By MobiTV

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

PR Newswire – Press Release

Service features include ability to download and store content for offline viewing; enhanced user interface for simple discovery and a more personalized experience

Delivering on the increasing demand for mobile media services, U.S. Cellular has launched U.S. Cellular Mobile TV, powered by MobiTV.

U.S. Cellular Mobile TV, a downloadable application, features live TV, video-on-demand programming and the option to download content for offline viewing. Subscribers will have access to top programming from ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, The Disney Channel, MTV, Comedy Central and more. In addition to the core entertainment package consisting of news, sports and other select entertainment, genre-specific content packages are also available, including a Spanish-speaking package featuring content from Univision and other providers, and a children’s programming package featuring premium content from Nickelodeon, PBS Kids and more.

“Our partnership with MobiTV represents another opportunity for us to delight customers with quality TV entertainment whenever and wherever they want,” said Joe Settimi, Senior Director of Data Strategy and Services for U.S. Cellular. “Additionally, U.S. Cellular Mobile TV will operate on our high-speed nationwide network so users can access information quickly and enjoy everything their cell phone has to offer.”

U.S. Cellular Mobile TV provides subscribers with access to compelling features powered by the latest version of MobiTV, Inc.’s converged media platform. These include an enhanced user interface for simple discovery, providing subscribers with tools to create a more personalized experience, and the ability to download and store content for offline viewing. (Full Article)

Lumetric Scores Second California School Installation in San Diego

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Edison Report – Press Release

LumetricTM Inc, a leading provider of intelligent large area lighting (ILAL) solutions, today announced that Poway Unified School District (PUSD), located in northern San Diego County, has selected Lumetric’s flagship SmartPODTM intelligent large area lighting system to improve lighting conditions, while saving energy, at the Rancho Bernardo High School gymnasium located in San Diego, California. OCS Lighting & Control, San Diego’s leading lighting agency, facilitated the decision process, guiding Poway USD to the SmartPOD as the most economical, efficient and future-¬?proof solution for their specific needs. Lumetric’s second SmartPOD installation in San Diego, the Poway project follows a complete indoor stadium lighting retrofit at the Viejas Arena located on the San Diego State University campus.

The installation is slated to achieve at least 60 percent energy savings with a simple out-¬?of-¬?the-¬?box replacement of antiquated lighting fixtures with non-¬?networked SmartPOD luminaires – while improving light levels by 15 percent. For projects like this on limited budgets, this installation demonstrates the benefits of a basic SmartPOD lighting retrofit, even without the many control features the system offers. With the elegant, plug-¬?and-¬?play system, PUSD can simply upgrade at any point in the future to a fully, controllable, networked system for additional savings in energy costs. (Full Article)

Vertical axis wind turbines trump others on land use

Friday, July 15th, 2011

cnet – Martin LaMonica

Typically, cost is the driving concern when choosing one renewable energy technology over another. But a pair of studies that consider land use give the edge to niche forms of solar and wind power generation.

Caltech researcher John Dabiri, a professor of aeronautics and bioengineering, this week presented results of a test that found that vertical-axis wind turbines have the potential to generate more power per square meter than the propeller-like, three-blade wind turbines. The key is that vertical-axis turbines can be placed close together without creating the type of wind disturbances that would sap performance of traditional turbines.

Dabiri conducted a test last summer with 24 vertical-axis turbines from Windspire energy, which are shaped like 10-meter tall columns, placed in 75-meter square space. He then calculated how much power per meter the small array of turbines can generate as a way to measure how much aerodynamic disturbances are caused by neighboring turbines.

The tests found that the power density of these vertical-axis wind turbines is about six to nine times that of modern wind farms with horizontal-axis turbines, which need significant spacing among them to prevent causing aerodynamic interference. Dabiri’s conclusion is wind farm design and technology is as important the power rating of individual turbines. (Full Article)

Fortune 100 Life Sciences Company Prescribes Aravo for FCPA Compliance

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

TMCnet – Press Release

Aravo Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of on-demand Supplier Lifecycle Management and B2B information and collaboration solutions, announced that one of their Fortune 100 consumer health products and pharmaceuticals customers has gone live with Aravo’s best practices solution for FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) compliance at its first international business unit. The company’s health care compliance team will use Aravo to perform FCPA due diligence on third-party intermediaries and their sub-intermediaries.

“We couldn’t be happier with how well the project went,” said the project sponsor.

“FCPA compliance is a global initiative for us, and Aravo will help us drive down the cost of compliance while avoiding potentially expensive fines and prosecution. Based upon this success, we plan to roll Aravo out to the rest of the region by the end of the year.” (Full Article)

InsideView Recognized as 2011 Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace Solution Excellence Partner of the Year

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

MarketWire – Press Release

InsideView, the social selling and sales intelligence leader, proudly announced today that it has won the 2011 Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace Solution Excellence Partner of the Year Award. The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. Earlier this year, InsideView achieved official ‘Certified for Microsoft Dynamics CRM’ status, the most elite certification for a Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner.

InsideView is the premier sales productivity solution within the Microsoft CRM ecosystem, and one of the most highly rated and popular apps in the Dynamics Marketplace. By combining traditional company and contact information with real-time, relevant, social insights and social networking into one easy-to-use application, InsideView empowers sales professionals to spend more time selling and less time researching, resulting in a 30% increase in sales productivity. InsideView users also save money by eliminating the cost of prospect lists and lead enrichment services because InsideView contains millions of detailed company records and decision-maker contacts — all instantly accessible inside the existing Microsoft CRM workflow. InsideView is free and installs in five minutes from the Dynamics Marketplace. (Full Article)

Aravo Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of on–demand Supplier Lifecycle Management (SLM) and B2B information and collaboration solutions, announced today that a leading Fortune 200 Financial Services company headquartered in San Antonio, TX has selected Aravo Solutions to help drive improved supplier performance and reduce supply management costs. The selection was the result of an exhaustive analysis of competing solutions during which the company evaluated offerings to help it reduce supply chain risk from supplier failures, discover and manage new strategic supply relationships and ensure supplier data accuracy throughout its operations. Using Aravo’s complete suite of SLM solutions, the company will have a single source of truth for supplier information that every application, business unit, and region can access, improving supplier performance and lowering operating costs.

The financial services industry—driven by regulatory requirements like GLBA, FCPA and BSA, increased competition from non-traditional players, commoditization of products, and advances in technology—has experienced significant change in the last decade. This change has placed constant pressure on the industry to manage new risks, lower costs, improve efficiencies, and rethink traditional business models. As a result, institutions are searching for ways to streamline internal operations and automate their supply and resource management processes.

Against this backdrop of change and rapid growth, the company found itself faced with multiple inefficient manual and uncoordinated supplier management processes. Discovering new suppliers that could meet their demanding requirements had become increasingly difficult, while attempting to manage supplier performance, risk and enablement across disparate internal systems and business units had become a costly and time-consuming exercise. (Full Article)

Aravo AssureTM Revolutionizes Supply Relationships

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

BusinessWire – Press Release

Aravo Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of on–demand Supplier Lifecycle Management and B2B information and collaboration solutions, announced that Aravo AssureTM is revolutionizing the way that companies manage their B2B trading relationships. Using Aravo AssureTM, the industry’s first ?? and only ?? supplier information network with a focus on risk, performance, compliance, and sustainability, members are implementing new strategies for reducing the cost of managing and sharing critical business information with trading partners, while finding new customers for their products and services.

Aravo AssureTM was built to revolutionize the way businesses engage, share data, and collaborate. Today’s outdated, manual, spreadsheet-based systems for pushing and pulling data between trading partners add complexity and cost. With Aravo AssureTM, buyers and suppliers are empowered with cutting-edge, many-to-many, Enterprise 2.0 technology, delivered in an intuitive, web-based system. Suppliers can leverage data and credentials across unlimited numbers of customers and prospects from a centralized secure location, and buyers can ensure they have the fresh, validated data their internal systems require to keep the flow of direct and indirect goods moving. (Full Article)

Aravo Offers FCPA Webinar for Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Firms

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

BusinessWire – Press Release

Aravo Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of on–demand B2B information and collaboration and Supplier Lifecycle Management solutions, announced that it has joined with Richards Kibbe & Orbe to deliver a must-see webinar for Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences companies addressing the Federal Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The webinar, designed for in-house and retained counsel, compliance officers, and executives who manage third party intermediaries, will explore the key elements of successful FCPA programs, discuss real-world examples, and demonstrate how technology can automate critical compliance processes and documentation.

The FCPA and the business and legal risks of potential corruption have become top of mind for Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences companies around the world. In the U.S., the Department of Justice, FBI, and the Securities and Exchange Commission have begun a rigorous anti-corruption campaign, and the prosecution of non-compliant global businesses under the FCPA is on the rise. With the passage of similar legislation in the UK and other markets, anti-bribery compliance is now a global concern. (Full Article)

Chart: Mobile Business Booms, Data Use Surges To 48 Percent

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

PaidContent.org – Ingrid Lunden

We all know how significant mobile has become as a channel for online businesses that are not inherently mobile properties—we see that trend getting played out every day.

Investment bank Rutberg & Co. has passed on to us a chart that pulls together some of the more striking examples of just how important this is already for some of the internet’s biggest brands. Meanwhile, some new numbers out from the UK-based Enders Analysis underscore the continuing growth in mobile data usage…

Rutberg has released this data (embedded below the post) on the eve of the investment bank’s annual Future:Mobile conference. (This year it is being held in San Francisco, June 16-17.)

It shows significant mobile muscle from some players. Pandora (NYSE: P), which has just listed, is sending over 60 percent of its music streams to mobile devices, and more than 60 percent of new users are coming from the mobile platform. Facebook’s mobile users are twice as active as those accessing from PCs (which makes it all the more crazy that Facebook hasn’t tried to monetize that yet). (Full Article)

groSolar Offers Residential Solar Lease Program in Pennsylvania

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Renewable Energy World – Press Release

National solar power installer and distributor groSolar announced today the launch of a new residential solar leasing program for homeowners in Pennsylvania, offered in partnership with AFC-First Financial and Middle Atlantic Solar Leasing, LP. It is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.

The solar leasing program allows a homeowner to lease a rooftop solar electric system for little or no money down, and pay a monthly fee for the solar electricity the panels produce. Homeowners also have the option to buy the solar system outright at a later date.

By replacing more expensive utility power with a new, lower solar lease payment, participating homeowners can expect to see a decrease in their total household electricity costs. Also, since the lease payment is fixed for the initial 15 year term of the lease, homeowners can protect themselves against unpredictable utility rate increases in the future. (Full Article)

New Aberdeen Research Highlights the Importance of Effective Supplier Management

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

BusinessWire – Press Release

Aravo Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of on–demand Supplier Lifecycle Management and B2B information and collaboration solutions, announced that it has sponsored Aberdeen’s new research report, “The Year of the Supplier”, by Constantine G. Limberakis, Senior Global Supply Management Analyst. Aberdeen’s research shows that effective supplier management can lead to a variety of benefits, including increased collaboration, savings to the buyer, and alternative sources of revenue for suppliers over the long term. The report further identifies tools and strategies organizations can use to increase on-time delivery and project completion, and reduce the risk of catastrophic project failure.

“Business demands today are requiring organizations to place more emphasis on improving supplier relationships, sparking increased interest for promoting areas such as supplier information management, compliance, risk and performance,” said Constantine Limberakis, senior research analyst, Aberdeen. “With this in mind, the organizations that can distinguish themselves in these areas will be able to lower their supplier costs, improve supplier relationships, and ultimately translate benefits into a competitive advantage.” (Full Article)

Message in a Wine Bottle: Save the Oceans

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

United Business Media – PRNewswire

Cellar Angels Wine Philanthropy Partners with Sea-thos Foundation

The next time you head to the ocean and drink a glass of wine, you might be helping protect the water your kids are swimming in.

Cellar Angels (http://www.CellarAngels.com), a wine-philanthropy group, is donating 10 percent of the net proceeds from wine sales to the Sea-thos Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that promotes education and awareness of the human impact on the world’s oceans.

“All of the world’s great wine regions are impacted by the oceans. Wine and water and inextricably linked. We thought this would be a great cause to help,” said Martin Cody, president of Cellar Angels, a wine buying club offering fantastic wines at discounted prices to its members and donates 10 percent of the net proceeds to charities. Most wines are from small, family run, boutique vineyards in the Napa and Sonoma areas of California. “When you go to the beach on vacation, you can help save the earth and protect the ecology.”

Cellar Angels helps other charities as well.

“We try to represent all areas of philanthropy. We already have concentrations in health and pediatric advancement. We did not have anything eco-friendly and we wanted to have a presence there,” he said. Other groups partnering with Cellar Angels include Children’s Cardiology Foundation, The V Foundation for Cancer Research, The Ounce of Prevention and Auction Napa Valley. Unlike other cause-related marketing events, the customer can select which worthy group will get their donation. (Full Article)

MobiTV gains screen time

Friday, May 27th, 2011

San Francisco Business Times – Patrick Hoge

With the demise of its biggest competitor, MobiTV is starting to have its way in the growing market for delivering television to mobile devices.

“We’re experiencing one of our best growth spurts since we started the company” in 1999, said co-founder and President Paul Scanlan this week.

This year, for example, Emeryville-based MobiTV quietly won a contract with AT&T to power its U-verse Live TV service, putting MobiTV’s technology behind live and other television services on all four major U.S. carriers, as well as various smaller mobile operators.

Now, MobiTV is in advanced negotiations to provide a new branded television service for a large Tier 2 U.S. mobile telecommunications provider.

And MobiTV has been chosen to power a nationwide digital television initiative launched in April called Mobile Content Venture that includes a dozen broadcast groups, including NBC , Fox and Cox Media Group. The service is slated to roll out later this year. (Full Article)

Hodgson Vo-Tech erects wind turbines to be used for electrical training

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Middletown Transcript – Jennifer Hayes

Glasgow, Del. – Students in the electrical trades program at Hodgson Vo-Tech High School are no longer just reading about alternative energy in their textbooks. With the installation of two wind turbines on the school’s campus Wednesday, these students will learn firsthand how to maintain equipment of this nature.

The school was able to fund the turbines through a $50,000 Department of Education grant, which was used for purchasing the components of the turbines and textbooks for instruction.

Aravo Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of on–demand Supplier Lifecycle Management and B2B information and collaboration solutions, announced today that a Fortune 500 Top 5 Pharmaceutical company has selected Aravo Solutions to help drive supplier compliance with the Federal Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The selection was the result of an exhaustive analysis of competing solutions during which the company evaluated offerings to help it reduce supply chain risk from supplier failures and supply disruptions, and ensure supplier data privacy and security throughout its operations. Using Aravo’s Credentials & Compliance Management and Enable solutions, the company will have a single source of truth for supplier information that every application, business unit, and region can access, improving supplier compliance and lowering operating costs.

The FCPA was enacted to prohibit companies from giving money, gifts or anything of value to obtain or retain international business. As a result, companies must keep accurate records and maintain clear and adequate controls for employees and trading partners (including suppliers, intermediaries and subsidiaries) to protect against improper payments or influence. With the FBI’s recent announcement that it is dedicating significant resources specifically to the enforcement of the FCPA, the risk of multi-million dollar fines and criminal prosecution has never been higher. (Full Article)

MobiTV Next Generation Experience Now Available on All Major U.S. Carriers

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

PRNews – Press Release

With the release of Sprint TV on multiple new devices during April and May, the next generation of mobile media services powered by the MobiTV, Inc. platform is now available on all four major U.S. carriers and all major mobile operating systems. Features available in the latest version of MobiTV’s platform include UI and navigation enhancements that allow users to create a more personalized experience, such as favorite channels and watch lists. These enable viewers to quickly find, watch and share the media they care about, including live TV, video-on-demand and downloadable content for offline viewing, with full digital rights management protection.

These enhancements are resulting in engagement increases across the board, with the next generation MobiTV experience driving viewers to watch more channels for longer periods of time and for more days throughout the month than those on prior versions of mobile media services powered by MobiTV.

Key recent devices that feature services powered by the latest version of MobiTV’s platform include Verizon’s HTC Thunderbolt; Sprint’s Kyocera Echo and HTC Arrive; AT&T’s Motorola Atrix and HTC Inspire; and T-Mobile’s LG-GX2 and Samsung Galaxy S 4G, along with the LG G-Slate and Dell Streak 7 tablets from T-Mobile.

“We’ve taken what we’ve learned from more than a decade of delivering mobile media to create a personalized, user-centric experience that makes high quality content easy to find and simple to watch,” said Kay Johansson, CTO of MobiTV. “We are committed to providing premier content within a reliable, compelling user interface that continues to redefine how users interact and experience mobile media.” (Full Article)

Top 10 Mobile TV Moments: Michael Jackson’s Death, World Cup Lead

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Forbes – Michael Humphrey

MobiTV released an interesting list yesterday that sheds light on what kinds of live events drive people to watch television on their phones. Turns out it’s really not that different from what drives humanity in general: Death, sex and soccer. Or as Mobi put it:

The result is a list of the ten most-viewed live events in MobiTV’s history, among them a major mea culpa, the biggest soccer match in four years, one wedding and a funeral:

Coverage of Michael Jackson’s death and memorial took spots 1 and 4, respectively. The United States vs. Algeria 2010 World Cup Soccer match was 2. Other notables: President Obama’s inauguration took a high spot, but the Sarah Palin vs. Joe Biden debate beat out Obama vs. McCain. In the marriage vs. divorce category, Tiger Woods’ confessional press conference beat out last month’s Royal Wedding.

A spokesperson for Mobi said the rankings didn’t come with actual viewer numbers because phone companies generally don’t release that information. But for some sense of scale, Mobi’s CEO Charlie Nooney told me in an interview two months ago:

Last year alone MobiTV delivered more than 1.5 billion minutes of content to its base of 15 million managed subscribers, up from 9 million at the start of 2010. (Full Article)

Aravo Solutions Inc., the leading provider of on-demand software and services for Supplier Lifecycle Management (SLM), has announced a new partnership with Coupa, the leading provider of Cloud Spend Management (CSM) solutions, to integrate and co-market their solutions. As a result, companies will have the ability to directly manage the entire end-to-end supplier lifecycle as part of their mission-critical spend management processes, including eProcurement, expense management, supplier enablement, and compliance and risk management.

Beginning with support for Coupa’s industry-leading CSM solutions, Aravo will provide robust new supplier self-service enablement capabilities, reducing on-boarding cycle times, lowering supplier management costs, and speeding time to value. Further, through the integration of Aravo’s world-class supplier risk and compliance management products, Coupa customers will gain deep, 360-degree visibility using best-in-class dashboards, KPIs and templates to track supplier risk and regulatory compliance. The combined offering represents the industry’s only complete solution for managing end to end spend and supplier lifecycle management processes across the extended enterprise. (Full Article)

Mobile-App Firms Make More Deals

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

The Wall Street Journal – Shayni Raice and Yukari Iwatani Kane

The past several months have seen a sharp upswing in mergers and acquisitions among makers of smartphone games, tools and other software as buyers seek scale, talent and access to mobile-phone users.

The trend is starting to change the app ecosystem. With more than 500,000 mobile apps now available through Apple Inc.’s App Store or Google Inc.’s Android Market, it has become increasingly difficult for small companies with limited resources to make a splash.

At the same time, large technology companies are seeking a bigger role in mobile as users spend more time on their smartphones.

“The incumbents all know that mobile is the big 10-year bet and they better acquire assets and talent in that space now to be able to fight the fight,” says Matt Murphy, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers who runs the venture firm’s iFund for mobile apps.

“Only a small minority will be big, winning standalone companies.” (Full Article)

At the 25th European Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility Conference, Linkage Biosciences, Inc., a privately held, molecular diagnostics company, announced the launch of several new research use only (RUO) products in the LinkSeq(TM) HLA product line. Working closely with the HLA and life sciences communities, Linkage Biosciences has been aggressively expanding its product development. For example, as of June 1, 2011, new policies are being implemented by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) for organ sharing. These policies require that deceased donor HLA typing be performed by DNA methods and identify five HLA antigens (-A, -B, -Cw, -DR and -DQ) before laboratories make any kidney, kidney-pancreas, pancreas, or pancreas islet offers. LinkSeq is the first HLA testing product to apply real-time PCR technology to test for each of these genes. It is the only test to combine DNA amplification and analysis in one step. These design features are intended to make LinkSeq faster and simpler than traditional HLA diagnostics. (Full Article)

Study: Mobile industry employs 30,000 in Mass.

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Boston.com – Globe Staff

The mobile industry, which can be loosely defined as made up of companies that offer hardware, software, and services for smartphones, laptops, and tablet computers, employs 30,000 workers in Massachusetts, according to a new study.

The study is from the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, or MassTLC. On its website, the council describes itself as a business association that seeks to address issues facing the local technology industry.

The study found that nearly 400 companies that cater to the mobile industry are either based in Massachusetts or have a presence here. (Full Article)

Aravo Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of on–demand Supplier Information Management (SIM) software and services for Supplier Lifecycle Management, today announced the controlled release of Aravo Assure™, the industry’s first — and only — supplier information network with a focus on risk, performance, compliance, and sustainability. Aravo also announced that General Electric will serve as the first customer of Aravo Assure™.

Harnessing the Power of Collaborative Networks

Aravo Assure™ allows companies to leverage Aravo’s industry-leading SIM platform in a true many-to-many, centralized, network environment. Just as LinkedIn was developed for professional networking, and Facebook for social networking, Aravo Assure™ was developed to harness the power of collaborative networks to drive more efficient, effective business-to-business relationships for companies of all sizes. (Full Article)

Airfoil Public Relations, an independent public relations agency specializing in public relations and marketing communications for technology companies, was recognized by theHolmes Report as a Corporate Media Relations Gold SABRE Awardfinalist for its thought leadership campaign for mobile media technology company MobiTV Inc.

Airfoil’s submission chronicled its work to boost MobiTV Inc.’s share-of-voice in the media, an area its competitor had been controlling. As a result of refined company messaging and focused media relations, Airfoil and MobiTV Inc. were able to more than double the company’s share-of-voice in the first year and assume the lead in most industry conversations. In terms of real business results, MobiTV Inc. formed new partnerships with carriers and content providers, all the while increasing subscribership. Ultimately, MobiTV Inc. has not only become the industry leader, but also serves as validation for the viability of mobile television, as the industry saw a 44 percent increase in mobile viewership from 2009 to 2010, according to The Neilsen Company. (Full Article)

Julia Roberts Seathos Mention on the Oprah Show

Aravo Solutions, Inc., the leading provider of on-demand Supplier Information Management (SIM) software and services for Supplier Lifecycle Management (SLM), today announced their role as a Silver Sponsor of the Institute for Supply Management™ (ISM)’s 96th Annual International Supply Management Conference and Educational Exhibit.

“We are proud to be an integral part of such a prestigious and long-standing conference”

The Conference will take place May 15 – 18, 2011 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, FL. In 2010, more than 2,000 supply management professionals attended the conference, representing such companies as Goldman Sachs, Lockheed Martin, Walt Disney Company and many others of similar size and market influence. Keynote speakers this year include Sidney Johnson, CPSM, Vice President, Global Supply Management at Delphi Corporation; Daniel Burrus, Technology Futurist and Business Strategist; William Dunkelberg, Ph.D., Professor – Economics, Temple University; David Hensley, Ph.D., Executive Director and Global Economics Coordinator, Economic Research Department, J.P. Morgan; and Arianna Huffington, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post. (Full Article)

SDSU Viejas Arena Chooses Lumetric

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Edison Report – Press Release

LumetricTM Inc, a leading provider of intelligent large area lighting (ILAL) solutions, today announced that the Associated Students of San Diego State University (SDSU) will fully retrofit its existing indoor arena lighting with the SmartPODTM system at the Viejas Arena located on SDSU’s campus in San Diego, California. SDSU worked with The LINC Group, the premiere global provider of comprehensive green building solutions, to select the SmartPOD plug-and-play solution to replace its outmoded, inefficient and rigid lighting infrastructure to enhance versatility at the multi-use venue, while scoring energy savings.

Lumetric’s SmartPOD system integrates advanced controls, including zoning and scheduling, with direct drive, solid-state high intensity discharge (HID) technology to outfit the 12,500-seat arena with 35 foot candles of sun-quality light. The arena will replace 222 existing high bay luminaires ranging between 1000W and 250W with UL-certified, linear dimming-equipped 200W to 320W SmartPOD luminaires. After completion, the new system is expected to achieve up to 50% energy savings without compromising a single point in light output, promising an exceptionally well-lit home for the 2011 National Championship Tournament second seed-spot earning SDSU Aztecs men’s basketball team. (Full Article)

groSolar to Open Leading Edge Summer Training Series to Everyone

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Renewable Energy World – Press Release

groSolar, North America’s premier solar distributor, with more than 1,500 nationwide solar dealer-installers, is rolling out a summer webinar series tomorrow. Each one hour webinar, consisting of a presentation and Q&A session, will be given by training and product managers from groSolar’s leading manufacturers, including Astronergy, IronRidge, Canadian Solar and SolarEdge.

groSolar, North America’s premier solar distributor, with more than 1,500 nationwide solar dealer-installers, is rolling out a summer webinar series tomorrow. Each one hour webinar, consisting of a presentation and Q&A session, will be given by training and product managers from groSolar’s leading manufacturers, including Astronergy, IronRidge, Canadian Solar and SolarEdge. This is the first time the distribution powerhouse is allowing non- groSolar dealers to attend. (Full Article)

Univision Interactive Media today announced it is expanding its audience reach on mobile through a partnership with MobiTV, Inc. Some of Hispanic America’s favorite video content including telenovela episodes and clips of Univision sports and entertainment shows is now available to millions of MobiTV subscribers via mobile TV and video applications powered by the MobiTV platform. These applications are available on hundreds of mobile devices including smartphones and tablets across major U.S. carrier networks such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile. Specific content includes clips of popular news and entertainment broadcasts, including evening news program “Noticiero Univision”; afternoon news “Primer Impacto”; morning show “Despierta América”; entertainment shows such as “Escándalo TV” and “El Gordo y la Flaca”; and signature shows and special events. Also available are dramatic series and novelas such as “Asi es la Vida,” soccer highlights, daily horoscopes and more.

“As the 2010 census shows, there are now more than 50 million Hispanics in the U.S., making the Hispanic market an incredibly important component in the ongoing adoption of mobile television. We are excited to partner with Univision Interactive Media to deliver dynamic content to this audience,” said Charlie Nooney, CEO of MobiTV, Inc. “With our award-winning technology platform, viewers of Univision’s content can expect a seamless experience with the excellence our customers have come to expect from MobiTV.” (Full Article)

Wind power coming?to city’s waterfront A 30-foot-tall vertical turbine is set to be installed next to DiMillo’s Restaurant this summer.

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

The Portland Press Herald – Edward D. Murphy

Usually, getting an up-close look at a wind turbine would require scaling a tall tower. This summer, Portland residents and visitors may find it no more difficult than going out to dinner.

Nelson & Small, a commercial and residential appliance dealer, will install a Windspire vertical turbine next to DiMillo’s Restaurant on the waterfront to demonstrate the electricity generator, for which Nelson & Small is the New England distributor.

Windspire vertical turbines are about 30 feet tall and rotate around a vertical axis, said Mark Hellen, energy services manager for Nelson & Small. He said the model to be installed next to DiMillo’s will generate about 300 to 400 kilowatts a month — about a third of the electricity needed to power a house. (Full Article)

Media Excel, a leading solutions provider of adaptive video encoding and transcoding for high-density mobile, web and IPTV solutions, is pleased to congratulate industry partner, MobiTV, Inc.; recipient of the Mobile TV award in this year’s Juniper Research Future Mobile Awards for Mobile Entertainment.

The top honor was awarded during the much-anticipated Mobile World Congress, held this past February in Barcelona, Spain; an event characterized by the MWC as featuring a mobile ecosystem in the midst of an unprecedented wave of transformation, as well as a must-attend gathering of the mobile industry featuring 50,000 senior mobile leaders from 200 countries.

The first to bring live TV to mobile devices, MobiTV began partnering with Media Excel in 2007, integrating the firm’s advanced real-time video encoding and transcoding solutions into its end-to-end management network service platforms for enhanced mobile video delivery to mobile TV service providers. (Full Article)

MobiTV, Inc. Wins Edison Award for Mobile Media Technology Platform

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

PRNewsWire – Press Release

MobiTV, Inc. added to its stable of formal accolades this week, earning a Silver Edison Award in the Media & Visual Communications category for its MobiTV Accelerated Media Platform (AMP). The ceremony took place at the 2011 Edison Awards gala in New York City. The distinguished awards program symbolizes the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison, inspiring America’s drive to remain in the forefront of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy. Additional award winners include Apple, The Walt Disney Company, and Ford Motor Company, among others.

“The team at MobiTV, Inc. has invested more than a decade in building the industry’s leading technology platform for mobile media delivery, and to be honored with such a prestigious award is extremely gratifying,” said Charlie Nooney, CEO, MobiTV, Inc. “With our technology platform we are well positioned to power the evolution that’s taking place in how consumers want to experience media. Consumers want their media in and out of the home and on any device, and that’s exactly what we’re passionate about delivering.” (Full Article)

Michael Saracini Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Aravo Solutions

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

BusinessWire – Press Release

Aravo, the leading provider of on-demand Supplier Information Management (SIM) software and services for Supplier Lifecycle Management (SLM), today announced that Michael Saracini has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Concurrently, Aravo’s founder and previous CEO, Tim Albinson, has assumed the role of Executive Chairman and will focus on strategic client and partnership initiatives.

Serving as Aravo’s COO for the past year, Saracini has been a driving force behind Aravo’s growth and SIM market leadership. As CEO, he will leverage his more than 20 years of sales, operations and executive leadership experience building profitable, high-growth software companies, to bring vision, leadership and execution excellence to all company operations. Saracini will also take a seat on the Aravo board of directors. (Full Article)

Talking Tech: MobiTV CEO on mobile TV viewing growth

Monday, March 28th, 2011

USA TODAY – Jefferson Graham

Know anyone who watches TV on their mobile phone? Well, it may not be something you see every day, but lots of folks are doing it. MobiTV, which pioneered the concept of watching TV on small screens, has signed up some 15 million folks to subscribe to its mobile viewing service, which is seen on some 300 phones and two tablets, the iPad and the Dell Streak.Charlie Nooney, CEO of MobiTV, sat down with USA TODAY recently at its Emeryville, Calif., headquarters, to discuss MobiTV’s growth. (Watch Interview)

As FLO Dies, Is Mobile TV Buried With It? MobiTV Says Watch This

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Forbes – Michael Humphrey

UPDATE: MobiTV clarified this morning that it powers U-verse Live TV for AT&T, not AT&T U-verse Mobile. It is also noted in the answer below.

Yesterday marked the unceremonious ending of FLO TV, Qualcomm’s attempt to bring television to its phones.

“It turned out that people didn’t want to watch TV on a handset,” said Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs, who sold the FLO spectrum to AT&T to build its LTE network. (Explainer here.)

Well, people do want to watch, says Charlie Nooney, CEO of MobiTV, which provides a television platform for RIM, BREW, Java, Android, iPhone, WebOS, WinMo, Palm among others. Nooney points to millions of hours of watching via their platform last year and bandwidth notching up its G’s (see explainer), as signs for hope. (Full Article)

Brandon Boyd, Hurley Target Pollution

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Spin Magazine

Incubus singer Brandon Boyd (above left) joined Bob Hurley on Thursday (March 24) to release a new set of Hurley tees and tanks with an original drawings from Boyd, depicting a whale taking bottles out of the ocean. The clothing items range in price from $28 to $32 and are available here.

The singer and brand are working with non-profit H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everywhere) on their creation. The party celebrated their work together at the Seathos Headquarters in Venice. Despite rainy weather, actors Eric Balfour and Michelle Rodriguez, photographer Brian Bowen Smith, Seathos founders Chris Jensen and Michael Schwab, and Seathos ambassador Danny Moder were also in attendance. (Full Article)

Brandon Boyd Art Benefits Charity at Venice

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

Santa Monica Mirror – Katherine Peach

Incubus Singer and Hurley Raise Awareness Through Clothing

The world’s oceans are home to more than 97 percent of all life on Earth. Yet, those resources are dwindling from over-fishing and pollution— a majority from land-based activities. Activist and Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd partnered with surf brand Hurley to raise funds and awareness about ocean conservation with a limited edition clothing line.

More than 3.5 billion people depend on the ocean for their primary source of protein, yet as many as 70 percent of global fisheries are at or beyond their capacity, according to the Seathos Foundation. Seathos, which promotes global awareness and ocean conservation, hosted Boyd and Hurley to promote awareness of the human impact on the world’s oceans at its headquarters located on 1212 Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice.

Attendees crammed into Seathos’ three-story space to preview Boyd’s artwork and the art-inspired clothing line. Portions of the sales from the limited edition fashions will benefit H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everywhere), a non-profit that involves artists to support social projects around the world. (Full Article)

Seaside Residents Raise the Bar

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

The Sydney Morning Herald – Tim Burlass

A house in Old Bar teeters on the brink.

An artificial reef made up of hundreds of sandbags that would raise the ocean floor could become a blueprint to stem erosion along the NSW coast.

Although it is too late to save the homes that have already been demolished because of the advance of the waves, residents at Old Bar near Taree are organising barbecues and selling T-shirts to finance a $40,000 feasibility study into the reef.

Three homes in the area were lost in 2008 – the owner of one is living in the garage at what remains of his property – and a further 20 are at risk, as well as the beachside Meridian Resort comprising privately owned apartments.

Across NSW, beaches in 11 council areas, from Byron Shire Council to Eurobodalla Shire Council, have been identified as regions where five or more houses or roads are at risk of coastal erosion, according to the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water. (Full Article)

“Any merger of this magnitude would mean some capex will be pushed back short term on uncertainty,” said Haakan Wranne, an analyst with Swedbank in Stockholm. “And when two operators merge into one, the capex cake will not grow long-term.”

The purchase, the largest in the wireless industry since 2004, will result in as much as $40 billion in savings, including on network overlap and spectrum purchases, AT&T said. For equipment suppliers such as Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent SA, the combined company to create the U.S.’s biggest mobile-phone operator will have the buying power to demand lower prices on infrastructure equipment.

“The merged company may discuss ways to squeeze suppliers a bit more,” said Thomas Langer, an analyst at WestLB in Dusseldorf, Germany. “Margins are somewhat higher in the U.S. to begin with.”

The proposed deal comes amid a rebound in demand for equipment makers after the economic slump in 2009 and last year cut into sales. Bandwidth-hogging devices such as Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhones and iPads and handsets based on Google Inc.’s Android with access to videos and games are driving operators to beef up their networks. (Full Article)

CTIA’s Likely Newsmakers: Sprint, LightSquared, Jim Cramer

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Forbes – Elizabeth Woyke

Yet more evidence that mobile companies never slow down: the industry’s largest global trade show ended less than a month ago, but many of the same companies will head to Orlando next week for another conference.

The upcoming show, CTIA Wireless, is smaller and more U.S.-centric than February’s Mobile World Congress, which ended up attracting more than 60,000 visitors from 200 countries. But CTIA lures – or at least aims to – a similar group of wireless carriers, device manufacturers, software and service providers and application developers.

CTIA, which runs from March 22 to 24 this year, was long the most important wireless industry show held in the U.S. But the Las Vegas-based Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has been encroaching on its territory as gadgets increasingly go wireless. (Full Article)

ESPN, CBS, CNN, Others Grew Mobile Video Revenue in 2010

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

The Hollywood Reporter – Georg Szalai

NEW YORK — Media brands such as Walt Disney’s ESPN and Disney, CBS and Time Warner’s CNN grew their mobile video revenue last year, but for now, its financial contributions remain miniscule despite the growth in tablets, apps and smartphones, according to a report.

SNL Kagan’s Economics of Mobile Programming, unveiled Thursday, once again shows ESPN at the top of the U.S. mobile video revenue chart for programmers and aggregators with an estimated $46.6 million in 2010 revenue, up from $43 million in 2009.

But the research firm highlighted that this figure represents less than 1 percent of the $7 billion that ESPN generated from cable and satellite TV affiliate fees and advertising. In a news release, it said that for many content firms mobile video revenue remains “a rounding error.” (Full Article)

Tickets, coupons among uses for tap-to-pay phones

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

YAHOO! Finance – Peter Svensson

Floodgates open for tap-to-pay phones that could act as tickets, coupons

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Cell phones are usually used to communicate with people far away. This year, they’ll get the ability to do the opposite: communicate with things that are close enough to touch.

It may not sound immediately useful, but phones will get some surprising capabilities with the addition of chips for so-called Near Field Communications, a wireless technology with a range intentionally limited to just a few inches.

The phones will be able to talk to payment terminals designed for “smart cards,” replacing credit and debit cards. They could be used as mass transit passes. You could tap two phones together to exchange contact information. (Full Article)

At Mobile World Congress last week I had a chance to catch up with Charlie Nooney, the CEO of MobiTV, to talk about some of the fails we’ve seen in mobile TV services, why he thinks white-label services are the way forward, and how tablets can catapult mobile TV players into multi-screen video providers. (video after the jump)

Overall the company said it delivered 1.5 billion minutes of mobile video in 2010, growing 59 percent over the year before.

Within that, there is a direct relationship between screen size and how much a person seems to want to watch. During last year’s World Cup coverage, MobiTV said that viewers watching coverage on devices with five-inch screens watched an average of 118.2 average minutes of coverage; four-inch screen users watched 102.2 minutes; three-inch screen users, an average of 67.4 minutes; and two-inch screen users watched 61.1 minutes. MobiTV is hoping that its news tablet interface will follow this trend, and help it along in its ambition to become a gateway of sorts for all TV viewing. (Full Article)

MobiTV, Inc. Awarded Top Honours for Mobile TV in the Juniper Research Future Mobile Awards

Monday, February 14th, 2011

MobiTv – Press Release

MobiTV, Inc., today announced that it has won the Mobile TV award in this year’s Juniper Research Future Mobile Awards for Mobile Entertainment. The Awards are given to companies that have made a significant contribution to their sector and are poised to make considerable market impact in the future.

MobiTV was the first company to bring live TV to mobile devices and continues to lead a growing industry. The company has leveraged its mobile expertise and extended it to create a converged solution with a platform that is capable of delivering media to any device, any operating system and any network. The company recently added the Dell Streak 7 tablet from T-Mobile to the portfolio of connected devices featuring mobile TV applications powered by MobiTV AMP (Accelerated Media Platform). MobiTV also powers several mobile TV applications for the iPad, including MobiNOW and UFC Mobile.

The panel of judges commented, “Displaying an unrivalled combination of market awareness and high quality content offered via a range of innovative business models, MobiTV has consistently demonstrated why it is the most successful provider of streamed mobile TV services in the world. The company’s range of smartphone applications has helped push awareness of mobile TV services into the mainstream.” (Full Article)

MobiTV, Inc. Powering TV on Tablets

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

PRNewswire – United Business Media

MobiTV, Inc. expands its industry leading reach, adding the Dell Streak 7 tablet from T-Mobile to the arsenal of connected devices featuring mobile TV applications powered by MobiTV’s technology platform. In addition to the Dell Streak 7, which features T-Mobile TV powered by MobiTV Accelerated Media Platform (AMP), MobiTV also powers several mobile TV applications for the iPad, including MobiNOW and UFC Mobile.

Rapidly increasing demand and expansion across mobile devices and operating systems resulted in a 59 percent increase in average monthly minutes viewed on MobiTV, Inc.’s platform in 2010 versus the prior year. On average, more than 10,000 files travel through MobiTV AMP daily for encoding, optimization and distribution to hundreds of devices over 3G, 4G and WiFi networks, culminating in 1.5 billion minutes of mobile video delivered in 2010.

MobiTV Inc.’s growth leads a growing industry. According to ABI research, the mobile television industry is predicted to exceed $20 billion by 2015, while a study from the Nielsen Company showed a 44 percent increase in mobile video viewing in 2010. This acceleration of mobile viewing has its roots in the proliferation of smartphones, more robust wireless networks, and now tablets, exploding onto the market with a form factor much more conducive to consuming mobile entertainment. (Full Article)

Social Gaming Sites Increase Return Rate Through Loyalty Suite

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

PRNewswire – FreeCause

Social gaming companies are keeping gamers coming back for more by utilizing an innovative loyalty suite from local tech and marketing firm, FreeCause. The firm has become the go-to destination for social gaming sites, such as OMGPOP and Sometrics’ Gamecoins.com to increase user loyalty in a space where a game’s success is measured by its longevity.

The FreeCause gaming Loyalty Suite includes an online toolbar and shopping mall. These tools allow companies to directly contact gamers with updates and exclusive hints and offers. Gamers also earn virtual currency that they then can exchange for exclusive upgrades and points. For instance, purchasing a movie subscription through the OMGPOP Mall rewards gamers with virtual currency that they then can then use to buy new virtual goods. These new loyalty tools build retention by intuitively building rewarding relationships with gamers.

“By installing our GamerBar, our users are able to get the latest updates and information without always having to be logged into our site. For us it’s great because we can stay connected to our members and provide them with reasons to come back to the site. Our users love it because they can quickly check in through the GamerBar and earn extra coins for their everyday searching and shopping activities,” said Andy Artz, VP of Analytics of OMGPOP. The company has recently raised over $10 million to put toward creating a new lineup of games for both Facebook and the iPhone in the next six months. (Full Article)

State of the Union: Live Event Coverage Guide

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Yahoo News – Donna Porter

Americans – and the world – will be watching President Obama’s 2011 State of the Union speech both online – via streaming media, iPhones and recorded video – and on traditional TV. The annual speech will be broadcast live on Jan. 25 at 9 p.m. EST on CBS and NBC. As millions are anticipated to view the State of the Union speech online, both the media and government are prepared for a digital audience. Transcripts and closed-captioning will also be available at some locations. Held before a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House of Representatives, the State of the Union reports on both the nation’s condition and outlines legislative agenda and priorities for the upcoming year. (Full Article)

Mobile Content Venture (MCV), a joint-venture comprising 12 major broadcast groups dedicated to developing a national mobile content service that delivers live television and on-demand video content, today announced two technology agreements with leading organizations in the mobile TV space, MobiTV and Nagra-Kudelski, as well as commitments from several manufacturers to create MCV-compatible devices.

Nagra-Kudelski, the world’s leading independent provider of value-added content protection and multiscreen television solutions, will assist MCV in managing its standards-based conditional access, enabling broadcasters to encrypt content and evaluate numerous business models. Nagra-Kudelski will also facilitate a simple user registration process for consumers, who will be offered content on an advertising-supported basis at launch. Additionally, MCV has partnered with MobiTV, the leader in securely delivering media to mobile devices, to develop a number of consumer applications which will be available as part of the MCV consumer launch in late 2011. Using MobiTV’s technology platform on Mobile DTV-enabled devices, consumers will be able to access video services and program information, for both live broadcast television and streaming video. (Full Article)